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The San Francisco Early Music Society (SFEMS) has issued a request for proposals from individuals and ensembles interested in appearing as a SFEMS-presented event at the 2010 Berkeley Festival or as part of the 2010-11 annual SFEMS concert series.

SFEMS will present at least four concert events at the next Berkeley Festival, June 6-13, 2010. SFEMS will also present eight concert events (each repeated in three venues) during its next concert series, from September 2010 through May 2011. At least half of the presentations in each case will be by local ensembles. (It is SFEMS policy that the term local includes ensembles based within 180 miles of San Francisco. Acknowledging that early music organizations are often comprised of national and international personalities, such an organization may be considered local if it consists of major membership and activity within the Bay Area. That is, an organization can be considered local even if only one member is based in the Bay Area, so long as that member is central to the organization.)

SFEMS welcomes all proposals that could interest its audiences. It primarily presents music from the Middle Ages through 1800, performed on period instruments.

Ensembles should specify whether they have a preference for appearance at the Berkeley Festival or on the annual concert series.

Proposals should be sent to the Concert Committee, SFEMS, P.O. Box 10151, Berkeley, CA 94709, by September 30, 2009. The Concert Committee has stressed that the submission deadline of September 30 will be strictly observed in order to facilitate early season planning. Questions about procedures and deadlines should be directed to the Concert Committee at 510-528-1725 or at concertproposals@sfems.org.

Selection decisions for both the Berkeley Festival and the annual concert series will be made during October 2009, and ensembles chosen will be notified at that time.

LOCAL ENSEMBLES

Local ensembles will be selected though the procedures described in detail below. Unlike most concert presenters around the world, SFEMS goes to great lengths to give all local ensembles a fair and equal opportunity to play. An anonymous and impartial Audition Panel recommends local groups to the Concert Committee based solely on the quality of the performances submitted. The Committee selects local groups from those recommended by the Audition Panel.

Local ensembles may submit proposals that include out-of-town or foreign guest artists. (Please be advised that SFEMS cannot help non-U.S. citizens obtain visas to perform in the U.S.) SFEMS also issues a special invitation for proposals appropriate for the December 2010 holiday-season concert.

Proposals must include a CD of unedited music and a written description of the programs and performers proposed. The CD should include not fewer than 15 and no more than 30 minutes of material. Only one CD may be submitted by each ensemble no matter how many different programs are proposed. The audio tracks on the CD should fairly represent the proposed performers. The CD should be labeled with the name of the ensemble, and the music contained and performers included on the disc should be listed on the CD liner/case. The best material should be placed at the beginning of the CD. In the case of long works, excerpts may be included. Commercially produced recordings will not be considered. Edited performances may not be considered. The proposal must also include a detailed list of instruments to be used, including date of manufacture, style, original instrument after which modeled, and name of maker.

You may also (but need not) include publicity materials in a separate sealed envelope. Such materials will not be considered by the Audition Panel but will be considered by the Concert Committee if the ensemble is chosen by the Audition Panel. They will not be returned. CDs will be returned only if expressly requested and a suitable self-addressed, postage pre-paid mailing envelope is provided or arrangements are made for pick up in person.

Each ensemble must represent that all performers named in its proposals have agreed to participate and must give one person authority to conclude arrangements with SFEMS. Compensation for local groups consists of a per-person fee and appropriate compensation for the expenses of out-of-town artists.

NON-LOCAL ENSEMBLES

Proposals by non-local ensembles will be considered separately from the above process by the Concert Committee. Such ensembles should submit their proposals to SFEMS as soon as possible, and no later than September 30, 2009. There is no required format for submissions by non-local ensembles. Please be advised that SFEMS cannot help non-U.S. citizens obtain visas to perform in the U.S.

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GENERAL GUIDELINES (SFEMS POLICY)

A. SFEMS emphasizes Bay Area artists and ensembles in its annual concert series. Several non-local presentations are normally included in the series in the interest of diversity and audience appeal, and Bay Area artists may include local and non-local guest artists in their proposals.
B. SFEMS seeks to present a concert series that reflects the broad diversity of early music, including vocal and instrumental repertoire from all eras of western music before 1800, played, as appropriate, on period instruments.
C. The primary criterion for selection to appear on a SFEMS concert series is quality, within the context of historically-informed performance.
D. Subject to the primary criterion of quality, an effort is made to distribute performance opportunities and to avoid excessive frequency of appearance.
E. Proposals must be accompanied by an audition recording that substantially represents the personnel who are proposed to appear on the series.
F. Selection is impartial. Submissions are evaluated in a blind audition without identification of the performers.
G. Audition panelists serve anonymously and are encouraged to maintain the confidentiality of their participation. No panelist may serve more than two years consecutively.
H. Audition panelists are experts in the field. They are chosen from a list of individuals nominated for their awareness of the field, diversity of expertise, impartiality, and absence of potential conflicts of interest.
I. Curatorship of SFEMS concert presentations is the responsibility of the entire Board of Directors.
J. The SFEMS Board Concert Committee may delegate tasks to non-Committee members, SFEMS staff, or other individuals, except where specifically excluded in the following procedures.
K. All questions regarding concert selection decisions are referred to the chair of the Concert Committee, who may, at her/his discretion, provide the inquirer with decision rationale.
L. The following procedures apply to all major concert series presented by SFEMS, including the annual concert series and the Berkeley Festival series.

PROCEDURES (SFEMS POLICY)

1. The concert selection process begins with the SFEMS Concert Committee’s publication of a request for local proposals in the Early Music News and other appropriate media.
2. The Concert Committee presents for approval by the SFEMS Board of Directors a proposed list of at least twenty nominees for the Audition Panel.
3. The Concert Committee chair selects five individuals from the approved list of Audition Panel nominees, confirms their availability, and arranges for them to meet under her/his chairmanship to hear all submissions. The chair does not have a vote in the evaluation of submissions. This entire step is strictly confidential and may not be delegated.
4. The Concert Committee convenes in executive session, reviews the Audition Panel assessments as well as availability of non-local presentations, and assembles the proposed concert series. In the selection of local groups the assessments of the Audition Panel will dominate, but the Concert Committee is empowered to override the assessments in order to ensure, among other things, diversity of era, repertoire, and instrumentation; audience appeal; and financial viability. The minutes of the executive session are strictly confidential. This step may not be delegated.
5. The Concert Committee presents the proposed series to the Board of Directors for approval.
6. If necessary, the Concert Committee meets again in executive session to make changes in the series if for scheduling or other reasons the series as originally planned is not practical. Any such changes are subject to Board review.

Last updated 06/09/2009.